There are the obvious costs like overtime for officers responding to a meth lab call and the clean-up costs for hazmat crews, but there are some things you might not consider, like health care -- including emergency room visits and dental costs for meth inmates.

THE PRICE YOU PAY FOR THE METH MENACE. GOOD EVENING - I'M GEORGE MALLET I'M STEPHANIE GORIN - YOU MAY HAVE NEVER SEEN THE DRUG. YOU MAY NOT KNOW ANYONE USING IT...BUT YOU'RE PAYING FOR IT. THE COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED METH USE ARE HITTING TAXPAYERS IN OUR COMMUNITIES. NEWSCHANNEL FIVE'S BRIDGET SHANAHAN JOINS US NOW WITH MORE ON HER LATEST METH MENACE INVESTIGATION, BRIDGET? NEW AT 6 STING THERE ARE THE OBVIOUS COSTS LIKE OVERTIME FOR OFFICERS RESPONDING TO A METH LAB CALL AND THE CLEAN UP COSTS FOR HAZMAT CREWS, BUT THERE ARE SOME THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT CONSIDER...LIKE HEALTH CARE INCLUDING EMERGENCY ROOM VISITS AND DENTAL COSTS FOR METH INMATES. AND WITH METH RELATED CRIMES INCREASING, LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS WONDER HOW THEY'RE GOING TO AFFORD IT ALL. JUST A WARNING SOME OF THE VIDEO YOU'RE ABOUT TO SEE IS GRAPHIC. - 58.30 :05 DR. BOULE/DENTIST You're maybe talking 175, 200 dollars per tooth. And sometimes these things are surgical which involves a bit more. AND YOU'RE PAYING FOR IT, WE'RE ALL PAYING FOR IT. 54.40 :05BOULE Usually you're not dealing with two or three teeth. You're dealing with 12, 13, 14 teeth. USUALLY BY THE TIME DR. MICHAEL BOULE SEES A METH INMATE FROM THE CLINTON COUNTY JAIL, THEIR TEETH ARE INFECTED BEYOND REPAIR ...AND HAVE TO BE PULLED. 53.01 :05 BOULE This is typically what you'll see with meth mouth. The teeth are just broken. These are just root tips. THE HOMEMADE CHEMICAL CONCTION KNOWN AS CRANK, GLASS OR CRYSTAL...CAN ERODE TEETH. WHEN A USER SMOKES, THOSE CHEMICALS INHIBIT SILIVA PRODUCTION AND MAKES IT HARD FOR TEETH TO STAY CLEAN, OFTEN BY THE TIME SOMEONE GETS TO DR. BOULE THE TEETH ARE INFECTED BEYOND REPAIR AND HAVE TO BE PULLED. 54.16 :10BOULE typically with the sheriff's department you have to pinpoint which is the worst problem today and just focus on that because many times you'll see them again. DENTAL COSTS FOR THE CLINTON COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT HAVE NEARLY DOUBLED IN TWO YEARS. 4.45 :04FAVRO It's gotten outrageous over the last couple of years. AND THERE'S MORE ... CLINTON COUNTY SHERIFF DAVE FAVRO...TELLS NEWSCHANNEL FIVE SOME USERS ARE NOW INJECTING THE DRUG CONTRIBUTING TO MEDICAL BUDGETS THAT ARE UP ACROSS THE BOARD FROM GENERAL HEALTH TO PRESCRIPTIONS. THERE ARE WITHDRAWALS, E-R VISITS, GASTRO INTESTINAL ISSUES, VISION PROBLEMS, SEVERE CASES OF DEPRESSION AND THOSE MAJOR DENTAL PROBLEMS ...ALL OF WHICH... WE'RE PAYING FOR. 2.58 :07 FAVRO Now they're having medical care that typically the average person would not be getting because the meth is detiorating different components of their body. STANDUP - TAKE A LOOK AT THESE BEFORE AND AFTER PICTURES OF METH USERS TO GET AN IDEA OF WHAT THE CHEMICALS CAN DO TO YOUR BODY OVER THE COURSE OF A JUST A COUPLE OF YEARS ...EXPERTS CALL IT A RAPID AGING PROCESS MAKING PEOPLE WHO ARE IN THE MID TWENTIES LOOK CLOSER TO THEIR LATE FORTIES. AND THIS IS JUST THE DAMAGE YOU CAN SEE. 2.46 :06:08 FAVRO And if you can see it on the outside, I think it's only common sense to deduce that something bad is happening to the inside of the body as well. AND THE COSTS DON'T END THERE...IT'S SO NEW TO THE AREA THAT BOTH VERMONT AND NEW YORK STATE POLICE ARE JUST BEGINNING TO TRACK THE EXPENSES. 31.51 LT. DAVISON/NYSP I don't have exact figures but each meth lab costs tax payers thousands of dollars. VERMONT STATE TROOPERS AGREE ESTIMATING THEIR COSTS ARE BETWEEN FIVE AND EIGHT THOUSAND DOLLARS PER LAB, ADDING THAT FOR MOST RESPONSES IT'S FAIR TO SAY A QUARTER IF NOT HALF THE TROOPERS RESPONDING ARE BEING PAID OVERTIME. ASIDE FROM THAT, THERE'S THE BOMB SQUAD AND THE HAZMAT TEAM. 1.48 :08 CHRIS HERRICK/VT HAZMAT the average amount of time we spend on scene is about 8 to 10 hours and so it costs anywhere between 2 and 3 thousand dollars per meth lab for the hazmat team to respond. THAT BRINGS US UP TO SEVEN TO ELEVEN THOUSAND DOLLARS PER LAB...AND THIS IS ONLY THE BEGINNING, LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS IN BOTH VERMONT AND NEW YORK TELL NEWSCHANNEL FIVE THEY ONLY EXPECT THE PROBLEM TO GET WORSE AND THAT MEANS MORE EXPENSIVE TOO. 3.40 :06:13 HERRICK It's hard to know what the future is going to bring and say if we start to see a dramatic increase, we'll be sitting down ...BUTT TO 3.52 and figuring out are we going to be able to do this.and if not what do we do, how do we do this, how are we going to get more funds to be operational. 10.27 :05FAVRO Cost effectiveness is basically a runaway train. A SENTIMENT ECHOED BY EVERYONE WORKING TO DEAL WITH AND PAY FOR ALL LEVELS OF A RAPIDLY GROWING PROBLEM. 55.07 :05 boule I see all the time now that people are coming in is in this shape. ANOTHER COST FOR ALL OF THIS... TRAINING. FIRST RESPONDERS ARE BEING EDUCATED TO HELP BETTER COMBAT THE PROBLEM, INCLUDING VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS WHO ARE OFTEN BROUGHT IN WHEN ONE OF THESE HAZARDOUS AND POTENTIALLY EXPLOSIVE LABS ARE DISCOVERED. AND BRIDGET SINCE WE BEGAN OUR METH MENACE SERIES THERE'S ACTUALLY BEEN A LOT MORE TRAINING GOING ON ACROSS THE REGION. THAT'S RIGHT. THE VERMONT DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH RECENTLY EDUCATED SOME OF THEIR EMPLOYEES IN MIDDLEBURY AND ALSO SHOWED OUR FEBRUARY METH MENACE SERIES. AND A NEW YORK STATE TROOPER TELLS ME HE HAS 8 TO 10 TRAINING SESSIONS SCHEDULED FOR ALL SORTS OF EMERGENCY PERSONNELL INCLUDING FIREFIGHTERS AND 9-1-1 OPERATORS. A SUSPICIOUS LETTER SHOWED

A weak ridge of high pressure brought us a nice Sunday with very comfortable summer conditions. Overnight a strong area of low pressure will push east from the Great Lakes. We'll notice an increase in winds late tonight with gusts as high as 30 mph at times. On Monday a strong frontal system will move across the region during the early to late afternoon bring the risk of strong to severe thunderstorms. Behind this system cool and unstable air will allow the chance for showers Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon. Cool dry weather will arrive at the end of the week.